Texas A&M women’s basketball, down just one possession at half, found itself outmatched in its 20-point loss to No. 1 South Carolina.
Facing the nation’s 17th-ranked defense and top-ranked team overall, the Aggies tied for their lowest offensive output of the season, losing 45-65 to the Gamecocks who remain unbeaten at home in Columbia, S.C.
“South Carolina is the best team in the country,” A&M coach Gary Blair said. “I said, ‘Let’s try and stay with them until halftime.’ We fought, we scratched and we found a way to do it. But eventually Dawn [Staley] made some adjustments.”
A&M continues its mid-season slide losing its fourth game in a row, all against conference opponents. The Aggies, 10-6 overall and 0-4 in conference play, began the season with eight consecutive wins. Since then, the team has gone 2-6 with three double-digit losses.
“When you get knocked down nine times, you get up 10,” Blair said. “We were 1-4 in the Big 12 to start conference play in 2007-08. We went to the Elite 8 that year.”
Against South Carolina, the Aggies shot 29.3% from the field and 22.2% from behind the arc. Despite winning the turnover battle, A&M was dominated on the glass, getting outrebounded by the Gamecocks to the tune of 53 to 31. South Carolina snagged 26 offensive boards en route to 31 second-chance points compared to A&M’s 12.
“You know they had [lots of height] coming at us,” graduate guard Qadashah Hoppie said. “Sometimes when you have taller players running at you, you may flick your wrist a little quicker than usual. Being composed and taking your regular shot is what we needed to focus on a little bit more.”
The top-three shot-takers for the maroon and white combined for an 11-of-39 shooting night. Hoppie led the team in scoring for the second consecutive game, scoring 15 points on just five-for-19 shooting from the field. Both junior guard Jordan Nixon and graduate guard Kayla Wells shot three-for-10 for a combined 18 points. Off the bench, freshman forward Jada Malone scored four points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
South Carolina improved to 16-1 this season, 4-1 against opponents in the Southeastern Conference.The top-ranked team in the nation, the Gamecocks now have nine 20-point wins this year.
“South Carolina checks all the boxes,” Nixon said. “They are athletic. They play hard. They are strong. They are fast … I do think we responded well, but they made us think twice and that is the name of the game when you’re playing a team of this caliber.”
Stand-out junior forward Aliyah Boston, South Carolina’s leader in both points and rebounds, dominated the court against A&M. Boston grabbed 15 rebounds, scored 19 points and dished out two assists, all game highs, in just 27 minutes of action.
The Aggies will have a quick turnaround facing the 8-7 Auburn Tigers on Sunday, Jan. 16. The game will take place at Reed Arena in College Station at 4 p.m.
Editor’s Note: Jordan Nixon is an opinion writer for The Battalion.